Explosive charge.



DRAFTSMAN UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST SOKOLOWSKI, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO E. I. DU PONT DE NE-MOURS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

EXPLOSIVE CHARGE.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST SOKOLOWSKI, a subject of the Emperor ofGermany, residing at Hamburg, Germany, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Explosive Charges, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

For numerous blasting operations in the field, such as the blowing up ofbridges and of bridge pillars, the throwing over of walls, the blastingof ice, and of rocks, wrecks and posts below the surface of water, etc.,has heretofore been customary to use containers with charges of brisantexplosives in a fused or strongly pressed state. Similar conditions areencountered in the blowing up of underground mines, submarine mines, andthe charging of torpedo heads. A charge of this type possesses arelatively high density, which renders it possible to' placeconsiderably larger quantities of the explosive nearer the place to beblown up than is possible with the use of the explosive in a crystallinestate, as, for instance, crystalline trinitrotoluene.

The use of pressed or fused explosive bodies can be carried out only ifthey are placed relatively close to one another. In case this is notcarried out carefully, the propagation of the detonation from body tobody is not satisfactory, and it frequently occurs that the detonationis not propagated and that the detonation is imperfect. Further, pressedand fused bodies must be prepared in certain forms and the preparationof same is expensive. Further, the shapes available do not alwayscorrespond to the given dimensions of the places to be blown up. It isfor this reason of advantage to improve the strength of explosion of theinexpensive crystalline explosive product, which readily comes intoclose contact with the walls of any container into which the same isfilled. To effect this object, I take trinitrotoluene, which by fusinghas been converted into a granular state, and .intimately mix it with acrystalline trinitro-toluene.

Any known process of rendering the nitrotoluene granular may beemployed, as, for example, the blowing of compressed air and steam intoa jet of fused trinitrotoluene, which is formed into a spray whoseparticles drop into cold water, hardening into the shape of smallglobules about the size Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 8, 1911.

Patented July 23, 1912.

Serial No. 648,280.

of large shot and the single grains ofwhich possess an especially highdensity, 2'. 0., 1.62.

Any known process of obtaining crystalline trinitrotoluene may beemployed, as, for example, recrystallizing the crude trinitroto-luenefrom solvents, such as ethylalcohol. The crystals have nearly or quitethe same absolute density as the fused granules (say 1. l51.6 accordingto pressure), but owing to their fine state of subdivision, that may becompared to a coarse meal, a given volume of the crystallinetrinitrotoluene is substantially lighter than an equal volume of thegranular trinitrotoluene.

Plastic trinitrotoluene (so-called) may be used as an equivalent for thecrystalline.

meal. So-called plastic trinitrotolu 's a. mixture of Lip iit r otolpggeaimtrotglugne and nitroc ottgn, in about the ratio 80:19.5 20.5. As isknown, the dinit-rotoluene is melted in a. mixing machine andgelatinized with the nitrocotton. Then the trinitrotoluene is added andthe whole cooled and kneaded for some time. The density of this plasticmass is about 1.25 and its sensitiveness to the shock of explodingfulminates is greater than that of fused trinitrotoluene.

The mixture above described may be used in a loose state; or, ifdesired, may be rammed, or pressed weakly.

Owing to the fact that a large portion of the mixture consists of fusedtrinitrotoluene, the density of the mixture, as compared with that ofthe loose crystalline trinitrotoluene, is very-considerably increased.In the same explosion chamber considerably more gas is developed than inthe case of crystalline trinitrotoluene alone, and the efliciency iscorrespondingly increased. During the detonation, the crystallinetrinitrotoluene or so called plastic trinitrotoluene, which isdistributed throughout the mixture, serves to immediately bring aboutwith certainty the propagation of the det0 nation throughout the entireexplosive mixture.

It is known that the fused trinitrotoluene does not detonate as readilyas the crystalline material. If granular trinitrotoluene alone wereused, the propagation of the detonation would quickly fail, while with amixture of both, even in large quantities the propagation of thedetonation is absolutely insured. The mixture as described above istherefore especially suitable for the purpose cited, particularly sosince its cost of pro- 5 duction is not high and it may be appliedWithout difficulty. I

Plastic trinitrotoluene may be used to advantage instead of crystallinetrinitrotoluene for primers, 2'. 6., intermediate changes designed topropagate the explosion to the main change of the projectile.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire toprotect by Letters Patentis:

1 1. An explosive consisting of a mixture of granular trinitrotolueneand cr stalline tlj liimiolllene, sa1 crystalline M triniti'otoluenehaving a sm allei' de iis ty than said granular trinitrotoluiff 2 w 2.An exploslve consisting of a mixture of granular trinit-rotoluene ofhigh specific gravity and crystalline trinitrotoluene, said crystallinetrinitrotoluene having a smaller density than said granulartrinitrotoluene.

3. An explosive consisting of a mixture of fused granulart-rinitrotoluene and crystalline trinitrotoluene, saidcrystallinetrinitrotoluene having a smaller density than said granulartrinitrotoluene.

4:. An explosive consisting of .a mixture of granular trinitrctolueneand crystalline trinitrotoluene, said crystalline trinitrotoluene havinga smaller density than said granular trinitrotoluene, said explosivebeing pressed lightly.

In testimony of which invent-ion, I have hereunto set my hand, atHamburg, on this 22 day of Aug, 1911.

ERNST SOKOLOWSKI.

Vitnesses ERNEST H. L. MUMMENHOFF, ANDREW V. PENTLANDJ Copies of thispatent Inay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing-theCommissioner of Patents,

' w Washington, D. C. V

